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Commissioners consider changes to noise ordinance

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Noise is news once again in this community.

The subject was broached by Commissioner Kim Rash, who said he feels the city’s current noise ordinance and reliance on readings from a noise meter don’t reflect the issues that residents are having, particularly those with homes near large vacation rental properties.

“I think the staff and the Chief are doing well with it but more is needed to combat noise issues,” Rash said.

In addition to the noise meter and the seven standards that police and code compliance officers can use to identify a noise violation, Rash suggested city leaders adopt a “plainly audible” standard to the noise ordinance. Using a plainly audible standard, if officers could hear noise from a long distance from the source of the noise, a length that would have to be determined by commissioners, the noise would be considered in violation of the city’s ordinance and a noise violation citation could be issued to the offender.

He also asked police Chief Bill Tokajer to consider a way for people reporting potential noise violations to remain anonymous.

Commissioner Jayne Christenson agreed with Rash, saying that people who call police with noise complaints are sometimes retaliated against by the subjects of the complaint.

Tokajer said that adding a plainly audible standard to the noise ordinance may not get the results that people worried about noise are expecting – more noise citations.

“I think our ordinance is well-written,” he said, adding that when making changes, commissioners need to make sure that they do not overreach to infringe on private property rights and that the changes are legally defensible if the matter should go to court. Tokajer said one of Rash’s suggestions, to lower the start of quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m., was, in his opinion, overreaching.

In the past year, he said officers have responded to 330 noise complaints and issued 25 citations, 23 of which were paid. During nighttime hours after 10 p.m., the maximum allowable level for noise is 55 decibels.

As to allowing people to report potential noise violations anonymously, Tokajer said there is a bill going before the Florida Legislature that wouldn’t allow officers to respond to an anonymous complaint. Also, if a complaint goes before a judge, he said the judge needs to hear from someone harmed or aggrieved by the noise, not a responding officer.

Once officers respond to a noise complaint and make contact with the people causing the noise, whether there’s a violation or not, his officers do not have to go back the same night.

Attorney Erica Augello said that “plainly audible” is very suggestible and is considered in some courts to be unconstitutional. If commissioners agree to add it to the noise ordinance, she said it would need to be very carefully and clearly defined with parameters and standards clearly set out, along with a very clear definition of noise.

City Attorney Patricia Petruff said she would work with city staff on drafting a more stringent noise ordinance for commissioners to consider for adoption. She said commissioners should manage their expectations though, because even if they approve a stricter noise ordinance, it might not hold up in court.

Mayor Judy Titsworth said that with a combined community of residents and vacation renters with large homes and small lots, there’s no way to avoid noise in residential neighborhoods. She suggested holding another stakeholder meeting on noise to see if there are any suggestions from community members on what can be done to address concerns and help improve everyone’s experience in the community.

“The residents just want to be able to live and sleep in their homes,” resident Richard Motzer said.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said she’s not against strengthening the noise ordinance, but she doesn’t want to adopt a law that isn’t enforceable.

“I cannot eliminate noise,” she said. “I can try to contain it to make it less horrible.”

Commissioner Jim Kihm said he feels like noise isn’t a city-wide problem but is confined to certain areas which may need to be addressed.

Christenson said the average age of Holmes Beach residents is 64.

“We are an older community and we want our peace and quiet,” she said.

Once attorneys and city staff have a chance to discuss what changes could potentially be made to the noise ordinance, it will come back before commissioners for discussion at a future work session.

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More people eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Health.

MANATEE COUNTY – More people are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Manatee County at more distribution sites, but there are also more requirements, depending on your situation.

County officials have opened registration through the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County for people age 16 and older with underlying medical conditions to receive the vaccine. To be eligible, vaccine recipients must first have a physician fill out a determination of extreme vulnerability form with the Department of Health’s logo on it. The form can be downloaded online. To learn what medical conditions qualify, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention online.More people are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine

To make an appointment at the health department, call 941-242-6646. Vaccine appointments are being made from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Department of Health at 410 Sixth Ave. E., Bradenton. When arriving for an appointment, recipients need a signed copy of the determination of extreme vulnerability form, if applicable, documentation showing proof of Florida residency and a completed vaccination consent form, which can be found online. Second vaccine appointments will be scheduled when the first vaccine is given.

Thanks to a new executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis, seniors age 60 and older are now eligible to receive a vaccination through state, county and private pharmacy distribution sites.

To sign up for a vaccine through Manatee County at the Tom Bennett Park or Public Safety Center sites, visit the county’s vaccine website. Though anyone 60 and older can register with the county, county officials stated in a March 12 press release that the county will continue prioritizing vaccine distribution to those age 65 and older. Once the demand for vaccines lessens with that age group, they’ll move on to registrants age 60 and older.

Anyone age 60 or older with underlying medical conditions and a signed form from their doctor, sworn law enforcement officers age 50 and older, frontline healthcare workers, K-12 and preschool teachers and firefighters age 50 and older can also sign up for a vaccine from private pharmacies including Publix locations, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Winn-Dixie.

Publix is opening registration for vaccine doses at 7 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays online. With two types of vaccines available, anyone signing up for an appointment on Monday or Friday will receive a Moderna two-dose vaccine. People who sign up on Wednesday will receive the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine.

CVS locations in Bradenton and Holmes Beach, as well as other nearby areas, are offering vaccinations. To view availability and book an appointment, visit the pharmacy online.

Walgreens is offering Pfizer and Moderna vaccines at select locations. To book an appointment, visit the pharmacy website.

Select Walmart pharmacy locations also are offering vaccine appointments to eligible individuals. Visit Walmart’s website to see availability and book an appointment.

Vaccine appointments are available through Winn-Dixie at all Bradenton locations and in Palmetto. To book an appointment with Winn-Dixie, visit the grocer’s vaccine website.

While Publix has certain times when appointments become available, all other pharmacy locations release available appointment times as more vaccines become available to them.

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Here’s where to get vaccines in Manatee County

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – After weeks of waiting, seniors and others qualified to receive a COVID-19 vaccine are finally about to see some relief as more shots make their way to the county.

The county-run vaccination site at Tom Bennett Park, 280 Kay Road, Bradenton, has 5,100 first doses for seniors this week, according to Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur. With 4,500 more doses arriving at a state-run vaccination site coming online today at the county’s Public Safety Center at 2101 47th Terrace E., Bradenton, a total of 9,600 first-dose vaccine appointments for seniors are scheduled.

With both vaccination sites running, Saur says he hopes to reduce the county’s vaccine standby pool from 90,000 to near zero by the end of March.

At the state-run site, Saur said the plan is to give 1,000 first doses per day, five days a week for four weeks followed by four weeks of second doses.

All the appointments at the county- and state-run sites are filled at random from those registered in the county’s standby waiting pool. Recipients can expect to receive a text from 88911 or a call from 941-742-4300 to confirm their appointment. Recipients who do not confirm their appointment within two hours will be put back in the waiting pool.

Thanks to changes in the qualifications to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in the state of Florida, more people are now eligible to receive shots. Florida residents 65 and older continue to be qualified to receive the shot and are joined by residents and staff at long-term care facilities, frontline healthcare workers who have direct patient contact, law enforcement officers and firefighters age 50 and older, daycare workers, and pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers. Teachers age 50 and older can get their COVID-19 vaccinations through the state-run site while teachers younger than 50 can get them from retail pharmacy locations.

Anyone with an underlying condition that makes them susceptible to the novel coronavirus also is eligible to receive the vaccine from retail pharmacy locations with a letter of authorization from their doctor on this form.

Currently, only seniors 65 and older, first responders and healthcare workers are eligible to receive the vaccine at the Manatee County site. To register for those standby waiting pools, call 311 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or register online.

Everyone else who is deemed eligible by the state to receive the first dose of the vaccine can register online for appointments at local CVS, Publix, Walgreens, Walmart and Winn-Dixie locations.

To register online for an appointment at an area CVS location, visit the company’s COVID-19 information webpage.

Publix locations are releasing appointment times to the public online every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 a.m. To register for one of these appointments, visit the company online.

For appointments at Walgreens locations, visit their COVID-19 page.

Appointments at Walmart are available here.

Appointments at local Winn-Dixie locations can be scheduled online here.

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Bali Hai site plan negotiations continue

Bali Hai site plan negotiations continue

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Talks between the property owners at the Bali Hai Beachfront Resort and city leaders are planned to continue at a future meeting and it looks like both parties are moving closer to an agreement.

During a Feb. 23 work session, discussions on the proposed Bali Hai site plan amendment continued, with Assistant City Planner Austin Doles giving a presentation on what the property owners would like to do and how she recommends city leaders respond. And while city commissioners and attorney Louis Najmy, speaking on behalf of the resort’s owners, are closer to an agreement, there are a couple of sticking points where the two parties are not seeing eye to eye, primarily concerning how the resort should operate until the site plan is approved.

City staff suggested the unpermitted bar/lounge and spa on the premises at the Bali Hai should cease operations until the site plan amendment is approved, permits are received, the property passes all inspections, and receives a certificate of occupancy for those areas.

Najmy said it’s unfair of the city to request the bar/lounge and spa operations to cease while the details of the site plan are worked out with city leaders. He argues that the bar/lounge area was a pre-existing use on the property. Brisson said he’s been unable to find any permits, business tax receipts, or other records that prove the bar/lounge was in use prior to the current owners opening it. Mayor Judy Titsworth said her father built the property and the area underneath the old owner’s apartment currently being used as a bar/lounge for guests was previously an entertaining space for the prior owners.

Najmy also argued that his clients have put millions of dollars into the property to try and make it a five-star establishment. Commissioner Jayne Christenson said it would have benefitted his clients to present their plans to the city for approval before investing to make sure that their vision for the Bali Hai resort could be accommodated in the residential zone where the property is located.

While commissioners said they don’t want to prevent the resort from being profitable for its owners, they have to consider the surrounding residential neighbors and what’s allowed in the beachfront district when approving the site plan, particularly since construction work was completed and amenities were added without prior approval from the city or permits being applied for.

And while discussions ended Feb. 23 at an impasse, commissioners agreed to move the proposed site plan forward to a regular meeting and public hearing in the hopes of getting more input from the resort’s neighbors. Commissioners also hope to reach an agreement with the resort’s owners before a case seeking an injunction to stop operations at the resort until a new site plan is approved moves forward in Manatee County Circuit Court.

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Commissioners close in on illuminated sign regulations

Commissioners close in on illuminated sign regulations

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Backlit signs in the residential and A-1 district along Gulf Drive may have to be replaced under new regulations being considered by the city.

Commissioners discussed the changes to city sign restrictions during a Feb. 23 work session. City Planner Bill Brisson reported that there are four backlit signs in the district along Gulf Drive, but only one has a city permit. And that one, he added, was permitted by mistake.

Brisson said the four signs are at Resort Sixty-Six, the White Sands Beach Resort, Cedar Cove and the Anna Maria Beach Resort. The one at the Anna Maria Beach Resort is the one approved and granted a permit by former Building Official Jim McGuinness. However, no backlit illuminated signs are currently allowed outside of commercial districts, according to city codes.

Commissioners said they are not considering allowing illuminated signs in the residential district where the Anna Maria Beach Resort is located on Gulf Drive. However, they are considering offering the owners a sunset clause period where the sign can be used to help recoup the expense of installing the sign.

During the meeting, commissioners agreed to a five-year sunset period for that sign. The other backlit signs will have six months to either be replaced or have the backlit capabilities removed. Illumination would then be allowed only by a single spotlight.

There was no discussion on allowing the owners of the Anna Maria Beach Resort to use an LED board on their sign during the sunset clause period if approved by two commission votes during public hearings.

And though signs are being allowed for property identification purposes, commissioners agreed that they prefer the low, often wooden signs lit by a single spotlight used by many properties in the area instead of the more commercial-looking backlit signs.

Brisson said he would talk with a lighting expert to determine appropriate brightness, lumen output, and sign size before the issue comes back before commissioners at a future work session. The ordinance will have to pass two public hearings and votes by commissioners before it can be enforced.

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Suspect enters not guilty plea in fatal hit and run

Suspect enters not guilty plea in fatal hit and run

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – A hit-and-run traffic accident on Gulf Drive that caused the death of a pedestrian has resulted in a local woman being charged with a felony – leaving the scene of a crash that resulted in a death.

Driver Cierra Shannon has entered a plea of not guilty in Manatee County 12th Judicial Circuit Court.

Attorney Ronald Filipkowski entered a plea of not guilty on his client’s behalf on Monday, Feb. 15. Shannon, a 27-year-old Holmes Beach resident, was charged in the hit-and-run death of 83-year-old Madelyn Dakin of Michigan. The case has been assigned to Judge Lon Arend.

Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said the incident occurred just after 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10 in the 2700 block of Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach, near the city’s southern border with Bradenton Beach. Dakin, a pedestrian, was struck by a vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Holmes Beach police, assisted by the Bradenton Police Department’s traffic unit, investigated the incident. According to a probable cause affidavit provided by the HBPD, Shannon was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.

The affidavit says Dakin was trying to cross Gulf Drive outside of a crosswalk when she was struck by Shannon’s vehicle, a 2006 silver Chevrolet Trailblazer, traveling south on Gulf Drive. The vehicle was identified by the city’s license plate reader cameras. Multiple witnesses say they saw a blonde woman in her 20s beside the victim, shaking her and asking for help before getting back in the vehicle and leaving the scene. Witnesses later identified Shannon as the woman at the scene from a photo lineup.

Local law enforcement launched a search to find Shannon and her vehicle. By the morning of Thursday, Feb. 11, a lawyer representing Shannon contacted police to give them the location of her vehicle and say that she would be surrendering to law enforcement.

The vehicle was located at 4535 119th St. W. in Cortez, near a trap yard at the FISH Preserve. It was impounded by police around 4 p.m. on Feb. 11 and determined to have front-end damage on the passenger side consistent with Dakin’s injuries.

By 4:45 p.m., Shannon had turned herself in to the Bradenton police and was charged in the crash. She was released from custody on Friday, Feb. 12 on a $15,000 bail bond with supervised release and ordered to not drink alcohol. Shannon was ordered to appear in Manatee County Criminal Traffic Court on Friday, March 5.

Tokajer said the investigation is ongoing and that police are seeking information from anyone who saw her or was with her before the crash or who has information on her activities before the incident to see if her actions earlier in the day were a determining factor as to why she left the scene.

According to Manatee County court records, Shannon was found guilty of driving under the influence in 2015 and was ordered to serve a year of probation, complete DUI school and pay a fine in place of community service hours.

Anyone with information on Shannon or the crash is asked to please contact Holmes Beach Det. Brian Hall at 941-932-6161 or email detective@holmesbeach.org. Information also can be emailed to BPDtips@bradentonpd.com. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-8477 or send an anonymous tip electronically online.

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Suspect in fatal hit and run identified, booked

Suspect in fatal hit and run identified, booked

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

Updated Feb. 11 at 4:50 p.m.: Suspect Cierra Shannon turned herself in at the Bradenton Police Department at 4:45 p.m. today. She has been charged with leaving the scene of a traffic crash that resulted in a death. Investigators have impounded a 2006 silver Chevrolet Trailblazer and are processing it for evidence.

The victim has been identified as 83-year-old Madelyn Dakin from Michigan. Dakin was vacationing in Holmes Beach with her husband of 67 years, Gerald.

Updated Feb. 11 at 4 p.m.: Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said the suspect’s vehicle was found in the FISH Preserve area of Cortez Village and has been impounded by police.

HOLMES BEACH – Holmes Beach police officers are looking for information that could help lead to an arrest in a fatal hit and run accident that took place on Gulf Drive.

Chief Bill Tokajer said the incident occurred just after 7 p.m. in the 2700 block of Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach, near the city’s southern border with Bradenton Beach. A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and pronounced deceased at the scene of the accident.

Holmes Beach police are being assisted by the Bradenton Police Department’s traffic unit on the ongoing investigation into the incident.

Currently, Tokajer said investigators are searching for a 2006 silver Chevrolet Trailblazer with Florida license plate IV5-9UG and front end damage. Officers also are searching for Cierra E. Shannon, a white female with a birthdate of Sept. 22, 1993, and a person of interest in the investigation.

Police are searching for Cierra Shannon of Bradenton in conjunction with a Feb. 10 fatal hit and run in Holmes Beach. – Photo from Shannon’s Facebook page.

In addition to searching for Shannon, Tokajer added that police also are seeking information from anyone who saw her or was with her prior to the Feb. 10 crash or who has information on her activities prior to the incident to see if her actions earlier in the day were a determining factor to why she left the scene of the crash.

According to Manatee County court records, Shannon was found guilty of driving under the influence in 2015 and was ordered to serve a year of probation, complete DUI school and pay a fine in lieu of community service hours.

Anyone with information on Shannon or the crash is asked to please contact Holmes Beach Det. Brian Hall at 941-932-6161 or email detective@holmesbeach.org. Tips and information also can be sent to BPDtips@bradentonpd.com. To remain anonymous or be eligible to receive a cash reward of $3,000 for information, call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-8477 or send an anonymous tip electronically online to the Crime Stoppers website.

–Sun reporter Joe Hendricks contributed to this story

Bali Hai site plan review hits a snag

Bali Hai site plan review hits a snag

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – City commissioners are willing to go to the table with the owner of the Bali Hai Beach Resort, but they still have questions about the submitted site plan currently under review.

Issues between the resort’s owner, local developer Shawn Kaleta, and the city arose in 2020 when code compliance officers and the building official discovered unpermitted work being done on the property along with a bar and lounge being operated without a site plan approval from the city. Despite a stop-work order, a pending case in Manatee County Circuit Court and an ongoing code compliance case before the special magistrate, photos presented to city commissioners during a Jan. 26 work session show that construction work continued at the property along with the continued operation of the bar and lounge area.

Assistant City Planner Austen Dole presented the proposed site plan amendment given to the planning and building departments by Bali Hai representatives, noting that in addition to the other unpermitted areas, two small spa service rooms had been constructed in the laundry building, also without permits from the city.

While the site plan is being considered by city leaders, Dole said staff recommends that all operations on the property cease until the proper permits can be approved. Despite the argument submitted by the resort’s representatives, City Planner Bill Brisson said that in records dating as far back as 1998 he couldn’t find any prior use of a bar or lounge existing on the property.

Attorney Erica Augello said that part of the issue is that the bar and lounge area is still operating despite the ongoing litigation and code violations. Mayor Judy Titsworth said she wanted commissioners to go ahead and start the site plan review process to hopefully bring a quick conclusion to the issues between the city and resort owner. To that end, she encouraged commissioners to carefully consider the site plan presented, what questions they have for the resort’s representatives and what conditions they would like to apply to the site plan approval, such as not allowing wedding festivities, including receptions, to take place at the Bali Hai due to its location amidst residential properties along Gulf Drive.

“We do want him to be successful,” Titsworth said of Kaleta and his venture with the Bali Hai, “but we do want him to play by the same rules everyone else plays by.” She noted that the property has repeatedly been in violation of city codes since Kaleta took over as owner.

City Attorney Patricia Petruff recommended commissioners submit their stipulations for site plan approval to city staff to be written up in some form for discussion at a future work session. Commissioners agreed to readdress the issue at their Feb. 23 work session. No representatives from the Bali Hai were present during the Jan. 26 work session meeting.

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Changes for Manatee County COVID-19 vaccine program

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Health.

Updated Monday, Jan. 25 at 2:20 p.m. – MANATEE COUNTY – Good news came to those waiting in the COVID-19 vaccine standby pool when county leaders announced the receipt of 4,500 additional first doses.

The news came on Monday, alerting the public that they will receive a call from operators at 311, who were scheduled to randomly select and call people in the standby pool to book appointments for Wednesday through Friday, Jan. 27-29, at Tom Bennett Park, 400 Cypress Creek Blvd. in Bradenton.

Of the 4,500 vaccine doses received, 600 of those will be allocated to the healthcare and frontline worker standby pool. Those recipients also will be notified by operators. Two hundred doses per day are planned to be administered from 8-9 a.m. at Bennett Park.

Patients who received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Jan. 8 should receive an automated call or text to confirm their second dose appointment on Jan. 29 at the Manatee County Public Safety Center. Anyone who received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine between Jan. 2-7 should also have received an automated message Jan. 25 to inform them of their second dose appointment on either Feb. 1 or 2 at Bennett Park.

Calls will come from 941-742-4300 and texts will come from 88911. Seniors are advised to put the numbers in their phone’s contacts to avoid calls being blocked as spam.

Residency requirement

Anyone 65 or older who is a Florida resident or who can prove at least part-time residency through the production of a Florida driver license or state-issued identification card, a utility bill with their name and a local address or a local rental agreement is eligible to receive the vaccine in Manatee County.

Recipients also need to take to their first appointment a completed copy of the COVID-19 consent form and a valid photo ID along with paperwork proving residency.

The residency requirement doesn’t apply to anyone who already received their first dose of the vaccine in Manatee County. Shot records cannot be transferred to another facility or jurisdiction.

Healthcare workers register separately

Frontline healthcare workers and first responders must also show their medical credentials to receive the vaccine. These individuals who do not have access to the COVID-19 vaccine at work are encouraged to enter their names into a separate vaccine standby pool registration for area first responders and frontline healthcare workers at www.vax.mymanatee.org/frontline.

When vaccine doses become available, workers will be notified in the same way as the general public – by operators calling from 311 to set up an appointment to receive a first dose of the vaccine. These operators work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To receive a vaccine, healthcare workers need to download and complete a consent form available online at www.mymanatee.org/vaccine and bring that along with a valid photo ID and medical provider credentials to the appointment.

To sign up for the vaccine standby pool, visit www.vax.mymanatee.org.

For more information about receiving the vaccine in Manatee County, visit www.mymanatee.org/vaccine.

 

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Events set to return to city field

Events set to return to city field

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Two events are scheduled to take place at Holmes Beach city field but there are going to be some changes from events past.

Commissioners heard pleas from representatives of the Anna Maria Island Art League and TNT Events, Inc. to allow them to host events in February and March at the city field park. TNT Events, Inc. is hosting an arts and crafts fair on Feb. 13 and 14 benefitting the Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus and Orchestra. The Art League plans to hold Springfest on March 13 and 14 on the field.

After some discussion, commissioners agreed that both events can go forward and be held at city field with some stipulations.

The first is that all booths have to be spaced at least 10 feet apart. All participants and vendors are required to wear a mask while on the city’s property and the event sponsors are required to hire an off-duty police officer to enforce mask-wearing during both days of each event. The number of people allowed in each booth at one time will be limited to two patrons and each booth must have hand sanitizer available. Hand sanitizing stations also will be located throughout the festival grounds.

Commissioners voted 4-1 in each instance to allow the events to take place. Commissioner Jim Kihm voted against allowing the events, stating that with the threat of COVID-19 still looming over the Island’s residents, he feels it’s too early to allow large gatherings to take place, even with safety precautions in place. Commissioner Kim Rash said he was in favor of allowing the two events to take place with safety precautions to bring back a sense of normalcy to the community.

These will be the first events to take place at Holmes Beach city field since the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020. Mayor Judy Titsworth said that while she wanted commissioners to weigh in on these two events, she had already rejected an application to hold an event at the city field space proposed for January.

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Ugly Grouper owners seek expansion

Ugly Grouper owners seek expansion

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – The owners of the Ugly Grouper are hoping city leaders will give them the opportunity to expand their business.

On behalf of the owners, attorney Scott Rudacille appeared before city commissioners during a Jan. 12 work session. He presented a slide show demonstrating what changes the owners are proposing to the existing site plan approval, primarily utilizing golf cart parking spaces to allow for an increase in daytime and nighttime seating.

Under the current site plan approval, the Ugly Grouper can have three seats per vehicle parking space. If the restaurant’s seven six-person golf cart spaces were used to count an average of four seats per space and the six two-person golf cart spaces were allowed to count as 1.5 seats per cart, it would allow the restaurant to add 38 more seats. This would bring the number of seats in the restaurant to 270 seats plus 8 free seats for a total of 278.

Rudacille said the fire marshal has already approved the increase in the number of seats.

City Planner Bill Brisson said that while the applicant planned to increase parking to 92 spaces on the property and at adjacent properties owned by the same group, two of the spaces, which previously were occupied by a sign and mailbox couldn’t be considered parking spaces. If the parking lot, located next door to the restaurant at 5702 Marina Drive, was restriped to try and create more spaces, Brisson said that space restrictions could create too many compact vehicle-only spaces. Holmes Beach city code allows only 20% of total parking spaces to be compact spaces, which would be a maximum of 18 spaces for the Ugly Grouper.

Rudacille added that the restaurant owners may also have to seek a special exception for the outdoor speakers installed to play music after live music ends nightly at 8 p.m.

Commissioners decided after some discussion to bring the matter back to a future work session to obtain further information from the restaurant owners before taking the matter to a public hearing and formal vote.

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Castles in the Sand

Move over and make room, there’s more coming

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

As if the COVID-19 pandemic and political unrest last year and, of course, going into this year, aren’t enough, the Census Bureau started reporting population counts and Florida is one of the states at the top of the heap.

Florida’s population has been growing for the last 10 years, making us the third-most-populous state in the country after California and Texas. Coming from New York, I’m always surprised to hear from friends and relatives that they had no clue Florida’s population surpassed New York State’s. This occurred back in 2014 with a slight margin that has grown every year since then.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas, Florida, California, North Carolina and Arizona were the states with the biggest population growth from 2010 to 2020. Florida’s gain during that period is just under 3 million residents. The states with the biggest declines during the past 10 years are Vermont, Connecticut, New York, West Virginia and Illinois.

These numbers, however, do not reflect the mostly coastal states and Illinois that have lost population from July 2019 to July 2020. Much of this decline may be contributed to the pandemic but chances are the numbers will decline even more when the balance of 2020 is counted, when people started relocating. In addition, Texas (373,965), Florida (241,256) and Arizona (129,556) are the top three states in the country that have gained population this year.

It’s no surprise to anyone who is even remotely interested in the real estate market that people are leaving high-taxed states and embracing Florida’s low-tax and friendly business environment. This year the number of people relocating to Florida from other states has exploded and now many companies are looking to Florida and Texas to relocate their businesses.

After almost a year of running businesses remotely, corporations are starting to understand they don’t need the expense and inconvenience of a bricks-and-mortar building to operate. They can offer their employees alternatives increasing both their bottom line and that of the company. Miami, in particular, is attracting major financial investment companies, a few of which have already relocated and others considering the move.

As previously stated, COVID-19 is certainly playing a big part in the movement of populations. But a lot of this started after the 2017 tax reform, which included a cap on state and local tax deductibility on federal income taxes. States with high personal income tax and exorbitant property taxes that could no longer be fully deducted had residents sharpening their pencils at tax time. Many upper-income families decided it just wasn’t worth the taxes they paid to stay in certain states and started looking elsewhere.

With a new administration in Washington, it’s possible that the tax reforms of 2017 could be reversed. This could have somewhat of an effect on people’s decisions to move, however, paying $30,000 a year in property tax is not the same as being able to take a tax deduction on that amount. So, the real estate community will wait and see if a different national tax environment changes the movement of populations to the sunbelt, which started well before the tax reforms of 2017.

Florida frequently is the subject of jokes from more sophisticated regions of the country. Dave Barry wrote a whole book about it. But based on the 10-year population growth, no one really cares. I-10 and I-95 are jam-packed with moving trucks headed south and properties are selling in one day.

Make room Floridians – we ain’t seen nothing yet. Stay safe.

More Castles in the Sand:

New year, new homes

Are home sales starting to slip?

Real estate sales surge continues

Holmes Beach: 2020 in Review

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

The year 2020 brought many challenges to the Anna Maria Island community, mixed in with several high points that proved this past calendar year wasn’t all bad.

In Holmes Beach, the year kicked off with the opening of the new dog park, which had been in the works for several years. The city took home a few Bert Harris case wins and city leaders were back in court with the treehouse owners. The city’s highly anticipated Community Skate Park opened to the public in February. At the same time, commissioners were discussing lighted signs in the mixed hotel/residential A-1 district on Gulf Drive, still an ongoing discussion, and the Holmes Beach special magistrate hearings were getting into a monthly groove examining code compliance cases. Horseback riding on the causeway was still being discussed as a potential problem at the local and Manatee County level.

Holmes Beach: Year in Review
A redesigned dog park opened in Holmes Beach in 2020. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Looking back, the first two months of 2020 seem like a simpler time that took place a long time ago.

The Island first began to feel the effects of the dawning COVID-19 pandemic in March, which saw events such as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade canceled, church services moving online, local government meetings canceled or moved to Zoom and masks on nearly every face you met.

As a community, Holmes Beach went through temporary business closures, temporary loss of beach access parking, the institution of a permit parking program and a grocery and toilet paper shortage that caught nearly everyone by surprise. Also, as a community, people rose to meet the strange new challenges brought by 2020.

Restaurants had to close their doors, but they opened to sell takeout dishes and some were able to provide groceries to residents. Locals banded together to help provide financial support to ailing businesses. Community members came together in 2020 to help support each other, whether it was through wearing a mask and keeping socially distant, buying gift certificates for local businesses to provide financial support, or donating to local food banks to help families in need.

Vacationers were able to return to the Island in the summer, restaurants opened their doors to limited capacity, beach parking reopened with new parking restrictions in Holmes Beach and residents and students prepared to go back to school at Anna Maria Elementary School for a new kind of school year. At the end of the calendar year, the Island school had only one reported case of COVID-19 on the campus.

The new normal began with masks required indoors and social distancing required pretty much everywhere, though stores, restaurants, fitness centers, The Center of Anna Maria Island, the Island Branch Library, some local churches and Holmes Beach City Hall were able to reopen with limited capacity.

Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth was re-elected to a second two-year term without competition for her seat at city hall. Commissioner Kim Rash was re-elected for a second two-year term in November along with Commissioner Jayne Christenson who beat out long-time Commissioner Pat Morton to win her first term on the dais.

Commissioners ended the calendar year by approving regulations for three-wheeled mini cars, disallowing any additional businesses from opening in the city and regulating where they can be driven.

Improvements at the city field complex, including the new bocce ball, pickleball and shuffleboard courts were completed, along with the installation of a new playground and lighting at the skate park.

Over at West Manatee Fire Rescue, Commissioner Randy Cooper announced that he would not seek re-election. After four candidates qualified, Commissioner Robert Bennett came out victorious in the November election, earning a four-year term on the fire district’s board along with Commissioner Larry Jennis who had no challengers for his seat and was automatically re-elected to another term.

The walls began going up at the district’s new administration building on a lot located behind the Fountain Court Shopping Center in Bradenton in December. The building is expected to be completed and ready for move-in by district employees in mid-2021.

WMFR leadership also continued assisting firefighters in earning a certification as a paramedic, helping to extend the reach of the district’s non-transport advanced lifesaving program.

The Center of Anna Maria Island had a year of ups and downs with many annual events, including the Tour of Homes and Lester Family Fun Day canceled, however, the nonprofit’s Go Green campaign continued full steam ahead, helping to bring attention to issues affecting local waters and sea life, such as red tide. Working with Ocean Habitats Inc., The Center’s leaders helped install hundreds of mini reefs underneath docks around the Island to provide a safe nursery for sea life which in turn helps filter the water. Through cost-cutting and generous fundraising contributions from the community, Executive Director Chris Culhane said he expects the nonprofit to finish the calendar year on good financial footing.

More vaccine appointments open tomorrow

More vaccine appointments open

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Health.

Updated 1/4/21 – Manatee County Public Safety Director Jake Saur announced that 1,400 vaccine doses had been received by the county for distribution to seniors age 65 and older and front line healthcare workers. Of those doses, 1,200 will be available to seniors to book appointments online for Jan. 5 and 6 at 2 p.m. on Jan. 4. Seniors without computer access can also dial 311 ext. 1 to book over the phone with a county operator. Saur warns that 311 staff is limited so it’s better to try to book vaccine appointments online if possible.

Anyone with medical questions concerning the vaccine should contact their primary care physician or the Manatee County Health Department.

Front line healthcare workers seeking a vaccine can go to the Bennett Park site on Jan. 5 and 6 between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. to receive their first COVID-19 vaccination. Workers must have a copy of their state healthcare license and be able to prove that they work in direct contact with patients in order to receive a vaccine.

MANATEE COUNTY – More than 1,000 seniors age 65 and older in the county have received COVID-19 vaccinations as of Jan. 2, according to the county’s social media page. Any senior who didn’t receive a vaccination appointment in the first round will have another chance to try for an appointment beginning at 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 2.

In a Dec. 29 briefing, Manatee County officials discussed receiving 3,500 doses of the Moderna vaccine to be distributed beginning on Dec. 30 and continuing through Jan. 4 to seniors, first at the Manatee County Department of Public Safety and then at Bennett Park. Those appointments filled up within minutes, leaving many seniors wondering when they could receive the vaccine. Information Outreach Manager Nicholas Azzara said that as available vaccine numbers dwindle to 500 or less, more shipments of the vaccine will come to Manatee County for distribution.

To sign up for one of the vaccine appointments released Jan. 2, visit the county website to fill out the Department of Health COVID-19 screening and consent form. Both forms can be filled out in advance and need to be printed and taken to your vaccine appointment. Visit the site at 2 p.m. on Jan. 2 to book your vaccine appointment.

Vaccine appointments are available to anyone age 65 and older. There is no residency requirement, however, the Moderna vaccine requires two doses with the second one to be received 28 days after the first one. Anyone receiving the first vaccine dose in Manatee County must also receive the second dose in Manatee County. Vaccine records do not transfer.

To receive the vaccine, patients must provide photo ID, present their screening results and provide a copy of their appointment reservation. All vaccinations provided by Manatee County are given free of charge.

Currently, vaccines are being distributed in a drive-thru location at Bennett Park, 280 Kay Road in Bradenton. When getting a vaccine, patients are advised to not leave their vehicle unless requested to by onsite medical personnel.

If unable to get a vaccine appointment on Monday, Azzara asks people to be patient and continue to monitor the county’s website for the release of upcoming appointments. You can also sign up for email alerts.

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COVID-19 vaccines open up to ages 65 and older

Person of the Year: Kathy Smart

Kathy Smart shares Sun Person of the Year honors

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – When you walk into Minnie’s Beach Café you’re not just walking into another of Anna Maria Island’s amazing restaurants, you’re walking into a family’s home. And that family is helmed by Kathy Smart.

The staff at Minnie’s treats everyone coming in, from local regulars to vacation first-timers, as family, while the staff really is extended and chosen family. That is something Smart says is especially important when bringing someone new onboard. She’s been working with some of the same people since before she, her spouse Mary and other business partners, who’ve since retired, bought the café when it was Brian’s Sunny Side Up many years ago.

Sun Persons of the Year

2020 – Jack Brennan, Roser Memorial Community Church and Kathy Smart, Minnie’s Beach Cafe

2019 – Doug Copeland, Anna Maria commissioner

2018 – Dan Murphy, Anna Maria mayor

2017 – Bob Slicker, Swordfish Grille manager

2016 – Rev. Ed Moss, CrossPointe Fellowship

2015 – Kenneth A. (Andy) Price Jr., chief, West Manatee Fire Rescue

2014 – Gail and Ed Straight, Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc.

2013 – Charlie Hunsicker, director, Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Dept., and Rick Spadoni, Coastal Planning

2012 – Mike Selby, Anna Maria mayor

2011 – Roser Food Pantry

2010 – Rex Hagen, Hagen Family Foundation

2009 – Charlie Hunsicker, director, Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Dept.

2008 – Cindi Harrison, Anna Maria Elementary School

2007 – The Legacy III – Emily Anne Smith, Lea Ann Bessonette, John Chappie

2006 – Suzi Fox, director, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch

2005 – Cindy Thompson, Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce

2004 – Gene and Elizabeth Moss, Roser Memorial Community Church

2003 – Officer Pete Lannon, Holmes Beach Police Dept.

2002 – Sean Murphy, Beach Bistro

2001 – Carol Whitmore, Manatee County Commissioner; former Holmes Beach mayor

Smart moved to Florida in 1989 from Cape Cod and when she came to check on a friend’s house on the Island, it was love at first sight. She relocated from Holiday a few days later in 1991 and never looked back. Smart first started working at the local restaurant, now known as Minnie’s Beach Café, back when it was Brian’s Sunny Side Up in 1995. Though she’s moved from the Island to West Bradenton, Smart’s commitment and dedication to the Island community remains as strong as ever, something that really shines through the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It all happened so fast,” she said of watching the effects of the pandemic on her restaurant, which Smart said was packed on St. Patrick’s Day, the day restrictions on restaurants and bars were announced in Florida. Immediately afterward, she said restrictions kicked in quickly with occupancy dropping to 50%, then 25% and then to nothing as dining establishments were forced to close their doors to customers. The closure of the restaurant didn’t stop Smart and her staff from trying to reach the community, however.

During the pandemic, Minnie’s was open for takeout customers. It was also open to anyone in the community who needed food or some grocery items and couldn’t get to the store or afford to pay for food.

Smart offered free breakfast and lunch to children, no questions asked, noting that parents would otherwise have to take their children to King Middle School, the closest pickup location for food from Manatee County Schools, for “a sack lunch with a sandwich. They weren’t going to do that. I have a restaurant. Why not help?”

She also offered free meals to local seniors and grocery items for sale through the restaurant for anyone who didn’t want to take their chances in a local grocery store. And when someone needed something and wasn’t able to get to Minnie’s to pick it up, Smart and her staff made sure that person got what they needed.

“I don’t think I did anything that anyone else wouldn’t do,” she said.

And while Smart was working to help the community, when Minnie’s was in financial trouble over the summer due to the pandemic shut down and restrictions, the community reached out and helped the restaurant and its staff in return.

Smart said the outpouring of support and love from the community was both overwhelming and wonderful.

“Without the community, we would’ve shut down in August,” she said. “You do what you can do. Maybe I did help some people out but they help me out a lot.”

Now, though the restaurant is open for dine-in and takeout customers, Smart said things are still tough financially but she hopes for a better future for herself, her staff and the restaurant that she loves.

“It’s scary. It’s very scary,” she said of the ongoing pandemic. She added that when the shutdowns and restrictions began in March, she thought it would only be a month or so before things were under control and went back to normal. Now, nearly 10 months later, she hopes that the COVID-19 vaccines will help bring things back to a semblance of how they were.

“I hope that by spring the Island can go back to the way it was,” Smart said, adding that she also hopes that people will soon be able to visit without fear of catching the virus and that her staff will be able to work without having the same fear.

For right now, she said the restaurant is doing more takeout business than it used to and her plan is to “go with the flow and hope that things work out for the best for everyone.”

Smart’s hope going into the new year is that the pandemic will bring people closer together rather than pushing them apart, that she can keep Minnie’s Beach Café going, that the virus goes away and that everyone will finally be safe.

To the community that has embraced her and her business, Smart simply said, “Thank you so much.”

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Jack Brennan shares Sun Person of the Year honors